Thursday, April 3, 2008

Patience

To all who's thoughts and prayers we have received during this tragic time of grief and sorrow. We ask for your patience as we use this blog spot as a communication tool to share what is unfolding for us and the amazing progress Jessie is making toward physical recovery. We hope to have another posting later today or tomorrow.

11 comments:

To your entire family during this most difficult time-I work with Jessie at the Relief Nursery (Healthy Start) and I had the honor of watching Jessie grow Sage. She was a beautiful pregnant woman and an even more amazing mother. Thank you for sharing your son with all of us. Words can not begin to express my sorrow for you all. Please know that loving, healing thoughts are always coming your way. Lysa Sangermano

Dear Jessie,I remember the moment you walked into the Relief Nursery curious about our programs and how we worked. I see people regularly but you were different; you had a presence to you that was so concerned and understanding of the importance of what we do. After giving you a tour i was so impressed by you and your ideas that i then passed your resume onto the supervising staff who was currently hiring for a teaching position. Although i would have been grateful to have you as a volunteer, i knew that there was more to you and how effective and helpful you would be as a relief nursery staff, working with the children and families. I didn't hear from you and then i was delighted to see you in the lobby a couple weeks later, dressed so beautifully. I asked you how you were and you explained to me that you were there to interview for the infant room teaching position. Immediately i was so overwhelmed with excitement for you! I then told the staff how impressed i was by you and recommended you. However, my recommendation had little to do with you being hired; it was simply you Jessie, and your amazing love, care and devotion to our cause. To this day, and forever, I feel so blessed, as we all do, that you were hired on and have never felt to blessed by your presence both with the children, families and staff.

Since we realized your loss there have been many emotions focused on love and support for you and your family. Thank you for allowing us, and me, to have you and your loved ones be such a significant part of our lives. I am now, as we all are, forever here as a support for you and a friend to you and your family and wanting to help in any way. You are such an amazing woman, someone we all look up to. You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers and we all look forward to being with you soon. I love you. Thank you for simply you in my life and in all the lives you are involved with. If at any time you need anything please call me, #541-543-8617. Take care my darling and may good health be with you and yours.

I also work with Jessie at the Relief Nursery and though I didn't know her, every time I saw her and Sage, I felt so happy because Sage seemed to be the happiest baby. I stared at him during our all-staff meetings and admired Jessie's dedication to him. It has been touching to hear about Jessie from other staff members and learn what a remarkable woman she is. I have had Jessie and all of the people affected by this loss in my thoughts and I wish all of you peace and comfort. With love, Nicole Nelson

Hi Jessie I dont really know what words to use, I just want to let you know how thankful, honored, and blessed I feel, that you allowed my angel SAGE to share part of his life with me. I am forever connected to you and your family because of him. Although I am overwhelmed with sadness I look forward to seeing you so that I am reminded of the amazing things he brought into my life. And to you Micheal I never really had a chance to visit with you, but I feel that I knew you through him. I look forward to seeing you both and sharing with you all of those amazing memories. And to Sage I know you are watching over us all right now, I want to let you know that I miss you and I love you and I thank you for your friendship. I will never forget you and I know for sure now that I have an angel looking after me. Thank you Jessie and Micheal, and get home soon AJ

It has been my honor to have Jessie as a teaching partner. We have shared many discussions about families, books, values, and beliefs. We have shared laughs and now we will share tears. We all looked forward to the afternoons when Jessie would bring Sage to work. Together Jessie and Sage were pure love, a forever love. Nothing will make that love end. Jessie is a teacher and now she will teach us all a profound lesson, the lesson of unending love.Lane Perkins

Jessie, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time. I remember when I first met you and being able to watch the amazing glow that you had while pregnant with Sage. I remember meeting Sage for the first time and how beautiful he was. I remember seeing how Sage could bring a smile to anyone's face, just by looking at him. I will never forget Sage.

I found a quote that reminded me of you and the way that you cherished every single moment you shared with Sage. We spoke of this topic during several of the conversations we had.

“The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won’t wait while you do the work”. – Patricia Clafford

Jessie, please remember that you can come to me if you ever want to talk, or just to sit quietly. I'll be here for you. Take care Jessie.Love, Monica

Jessie: Walking through the infant room to my office and seeing you with Sage was like a reminder to me of the purpose of our work, a perfect example of what we hope to achieve. Walking through the infant room will be different for me now. I am so sorry for you and your families loss, pray for a fast and full recovery from your injuries, and look forward to seeing you soon. Take Care, Kevin

Dear Jessie and Michael,I have been thinking of you all this time. It took me this long to sit down and actually write you a note because doing it so it made it so much real. Jessie and I both share our name, but we shared so much more. Everyone knows Jessie looked so beatiful throught out her pregnancy but what I remember most was the first day she walked in the building with Sage. They were both so beutiful. She was a natural at this her new adventure as a mother. I watched Sage grow and my love for with grew even stronger. My heart is so broken. I am going to miss him so much. He was so beatiful, so perfect, such a bundel of joy. I looked forward to the afternoons when Jessie brought him to work. He was always happy to be there. His laughs, how can I forget that? Thank you so much for sharing Sage with us, with Kayla. The last time he was at our home, so memorable. Kayla is also sadden by your loss. She told me Mom when he was here all I wanted to do is hold him but he just wanted to pull my hair. She enjoyed being with him so much. We will really miss him but forever he will be in our hearts and for you Jessie and Michael we hope that you can tell us how we can best support you. I admire your strenght and hope for a fast recovery and look forward to seen you back. For my Tortuguita. Te quiero mucho. Siempre estaras en mi corazon Angelito mio. John, Kayla and Christopher send their love.

Dear Jessie,I have been so blessed to share my Monday mornings with you in the Relief Nursery infant room. I have watched in admiration how you share yourself with the children in our room and how they are drawn to your love and compassion. You are an amazing woman!

I am so deeply sad to hear about the death of your father and your dear sweet boy, Sage. My heart aches for you and with you during this time of sorrow and grief. You and Michael are in my heart and in my prayers as you travel this journey together. While I am limited by words in this email, please know I am sending healing energy to surround you both in grace and light.

My heart aches for the both of you. The loss of your father and beautiful boy weighs heavy on our hearts back here in Eugene.

Thank you so much for sharing Sage with us. His smiles lit up our afternoons and he delighted us with his new discoveries. It is amazing to me how one so small can reduce adults to baby-talking, singing and dancing toys...Thank you, thank you, thank you.

We think of you often and hope that you can feel the prayers, energy and light sent to you across the miles.

Good Morning Jessie. Don't worry, you will be OK wherever you go. New Dayby Chi-Chi Phiona OsaiI cannot feel the pain you bear,Nor the emptiness that comes with losing someone dear,I do not know how many times you have wept,How many dreamless nights you have slept,I see, though, that you are in mourning,Of a cherished soul that left before the day’s dawning,My dear heart, I weep too,In my prayers, I place you.He hasn’t fully passed away,Believe me, he’s with you everyday,As long as he’s your treasured stone,His love will comfort you when in pain you groan,He takes every step you take,Though his reflection may not appear on the face of a lake,Like true soul mates you are,He’ll be your guiding star.Don’t you worry, he didn’t sleep alone,The angels were there to guard their own,That is why you should smile,With your fate, you should reconcile,Maybe his departure is a sign,Maybe he is your passing angel, your future vine,Bleed no more, you will be blessed,You will be seen through this difficult test.

Grandpa and Sage

It Felt Love

How did the roseEver open its heartAnd give to this worldAll its beauty?

It felt theEncouragement of lightAgainst its being.

Otherwise,We all remainToo frightened.

-Hafiz

About The Encouragement of Light

I started this blog in March 2008, days after an auto accident that killed my 9 month old son (Sage) and my dad (Dennie) and left me with serious injuries, including a broken pelvis. I write to share my exploration of life after losing my child and to process this experience. My husband, Michael, and I find ourselves in the foreign land of grief, sometimes utterly lost, and sometimes awed by unexpected beauty.